Archive | Shops At Fayrehale

We work hard here atShops At Fayrehale to offer a nice selection of affordable items AND to keep shipping costs reasonable.

Recent increases in USPS rates means we have to do a little adjusting too.

Vermont — $8.95

East of Mississippi (except VT) — $9.95

West of Mississippi (Except AK & HI) — $13.95

Alaska & Hawaii — $19.95

To Big To Mail — We do have a Too Big To Mail section. These items can be picked up OR you can email shopsatfayrehale@gmail.com discuss other options which will cost you the actual fees.

When you checkout with an item from the Too Big To Mail section, you will see the above comment regarding shipping fees. As stated above, IF NOT picking up, email shopsatfayrehale@gmail.com

Canada & Other Countries — We welcome orders from many Countries and have shipped items to Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland and Britain. For these sales we ask you to email us at shopsatfayrehale@gmail.comwith the item you wish to purchase. We will pack it and take it to the Post Office to find out the exact cost and the options you can select from.

The responses I received from several friends I emailed this to, made me to decide to make it public on the off chance that someone might benefit.

An example of the responses: “My goodness, what a revealing story. I had no idea of the consequence of a tick bite other than the words “Lyme Disease.” Now I know now devastating it can be. I’m so glad there’s treatment for Abigail and wish her a full and speedy recovery. Poor thing! What kind of dog is she? I have a miniature poodle and will pay close attention to her, now that you’ve shared your experience. Thanks!”

DAMN Connecticut and Its Lyme Disease !!!!!

Abigail Often Rides on My Shoulders

It has been an emotionally draining morning. I woke up at 7am after 10 hours of deep sleep in the coolness of the tent. I reached out to touch Abigail (rear hip) and she yelped.

I got up, she sat up and did not move further. I picked her up and set her down and her rear end collapsed. I did get her standing and she walked slowly and unsteadily to the house — peeing and pooping on the way.

I carried her to the van and drove the 2 miles down the road to the Vet who was not open yet. The assistants were working and gave me the first open appointment at 10am.

Back home to wait the long 2 hours. Covered Abigail with a cold wet towel as she seemed feverish and I worried! Knowing that I did not have thousands to spend — not even too many hundreds (you can only do so much robbing Peter to pay Paul)

10am arrived and we were at the Vet’s. She did have a fever – 3 degrees high – Vet did an examination of her limbs and head/neck for range of motion and took her for a walk around the clinic. Then she came to talk to me and suggested we test for Lyme first before she discussed the second possibility — adding that both were curable .

I said fine but she has had no ticks on her this season — the response was that this tick, if Lyme, would have been 6-8 months ago! Learned something there!!! Wish I had discovered the Green Mountain Tick Repellent last season!!!

She drew the blood and said the test takes 10 minutes — you can wait in the waiting room, on the porch, which ever you like – I said I will go to the van.

Had JUST settled in when the clinic door opens and the Vet comes out and said the antibodies are so high that the positive was immediate!

Thus the fever and the stiff, painful joints. SO — pain pill 2x a day for a week and an antibiotics pill 1x a day for 28 days.

Then I went into town from the Vet’s to mail the last chick order of the season and to stop at the grocery store for some milk, bacon and cottage cheese — all to help Abigail want to eat before the pain pill.

A big relief — I was worried this morning that I would lose her.

A little background that might help others — Saturday she was off in her left front shoulder/leg — gimpy — I figured she had twisted it jumping off bed or furniture — when she jumps of the bed in the tent each morning, she waits for my okay and then jumps off the bed and out the door to land outside.

Yesterday, Sunday, she seemed a little stiff and slow but the weather was horrible and I was stiff and slow — she was drinking, eating a little and peeing and pooping. Then today she was so helpless! The Vet said that, untreated, it would just have kept getting worse — stiffness and pain and inability to move..

She had a pork medallion and cottage cheese once I settled her into her chair — then her pills and then a good drink of water — the water she insisted I freshen so that was a sign of normalcy !! I have a cold wet dish towel on her while the fever comes down and I will play nurse — work on website and keep her in my sight —

Vet said 1-3 days to start seeing improvement.

The pain pill must be working as she is alert w/ head and ears up as she rests under a wet cold towel in her chair… her eyes are brighter and her ears respond when I talk to her — a big relief!!!!

It is a good thing I can carry her:)

So there is the tale of DAMN Connecticut and Its Lyme Disease!

Late 2010 when Abigail (HRM Abigail of Fayrehale) was 11 weeks old. She will be six years old this fall.

UPDATE:

What a difference 24 hours makes (and the Vet said 1-3 days) — from not using her rear end to jumping in and out of the chair again — out came before in – which just now happened — she barked to go out — and trotted on our walk which went 2 neighbors down when she turned around to head back..

Turkeys were gobbling, flying, playing in the field and she JUMPED up to look, on rear legs, and was ready to give chase but for the leash.

So now we just continue the meds — I never heard about no dairy for antibiotics — and in this case when the vet was mentioning pills I asked about cheese — that should have been the no dairy briefing! Fortunately a friend, who worked for a Vet for years, educated me when I revealed that I had fed Abigail cottage cheese.

So, today’s pre-meds snack was 2 eggs with one bacon sprinkled with dog food — some food was suggested before pain pill — then I just put pills in the back of her mouth, hold it closed and stroke her chin —

Now I have to get myself back in gear

Feels like fall – 9 color spots on maple across the street

Update #2

36 & 48 Hours Out

36 hours out — she was eating dog food again and backing up quickly and normally

48 hours out — Looks like all is back to normal….just have to complete the 4 weeks of medications.

Abigail was “on guard” last night in the tent when she heard something outside and this morning she jumped from the bed, out the tent door, and landed outside.

What a relief! I have heard from many people that they were totally unaware of Lyme Disease with dogs. Hopefully sharing this experience has helped to make people aware and also to understand that with proper care Lyme Disease can be handled.

My biggest surprise was that the infecting tick was so long ago!! I continue to wish I had discovered the Green Mountain Tick Repellent last season!!! AT LEAST we know about it now.

It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. ……………What the world needs now is love, sweet love, No, not just for some but for everyone.No, not just for some, oh, but just for everyone.

My last Blog post was January 20th of this year and I selected the title and first line above on March 6th of this year! It is now August 11th and time I catch everyone up on the good life at Fayrehale! I am working in my outdoor office:) A shaded location that usually has a breeze on the other side of the lilac hedge. I can see people drive in and work on building the website between customers.

My biggest conflict, I find, is balancing a peaceful connected to the earth and Mother Nature Life while staying aware of the outside world. This year, the primary season and the major party conventions displayed an ugly side of our Country/Society filled with hatred, darkness, corruption and outright fraud. I had to retreat into my world for my own health and sanity. I know how I will cast my vote on November 8th so I have no need to listen to the current attacks or the debates — I can shut it all out and honor my inner Henry David Thoreau and Noah Rondeau!

As January rolled into February, I came to the realization that it was better to start the aesthetic redecorating of the house as it is and not wait for envisioned and planned major renovations! We my not live long enough or ever be able to afford those! This caused me to do the first floor bathroom over. New fixtures, new flooring and newly painted walls. It looks great and is a very comfortable room to use. Then I started on the dining room. It was slow going as the room is fully furnished. I had to do a section at a time, moving furniture out, draping everything w/in spatter range, paint and then after the paint dried, put that area back together! It will get finished this winter after we close Shops At Fayrehale.

I chose a blue for the walls that compliments the art and the furnishings and a darker blue for the floor. I like painted floors and am not swayed by the reactions of horror from friends when they find out I painted hardwood floors! I *hate* hardwood floors, they are not original to our 1840 home and if we ever get to accomplish the major renovations, they will be pulled up so we have the original board floors. As was done in many old houses, I just painted around the large 10×13 rug!

During this time, I was also continuing to work with the Doctors at Dartmouth as we attempted to heal my radiation fibrosis – It had been less than pleasant for 5 years. NOT life threatening, just a pain (literally) and a seeping mess. Finally the Doctor said, if you want to, we can end this once and for all! I listened, decided and scheduled surgery for April 28th. April 28th was selected to get us beyond winter, to fit Tom’s work schedule so he could come to Vermont for 2 weeks and to have me healed enough to open Shops At Fayehale by mid June.

Thursday the 28th of April arrived and off to Dartmouth we went. I knew I would be staying until Sunday. The Doctor worked miracles! He filleted the foul radiation flesh away from my lower abdomen. A 14.5″ incision down my left thigh allowed him to harvest a 4″ x 6″ piece of skin and the necessary blood veins to feed it. This was then tunneled under the 4-5 inches of skin between thigh incision and the area on my lower abdomen where the skin graft needed to be applied.

Pretty remarkable. I had not had to stay in the hospital since 1983 when I had my cancer surgery. Let me just say that medical procedures have developed and advanced at a mind boggling rate! Thankfully. Care while in the hospital has deteriorated — as it is smothering and intrusive when one is not in a serious enough condition to require that type of care! All to cover themselves from liability. Enough said on that.

I was glad to get home and I did follow my Doctor’s orders. It was six weeks before I could wear clothes! The skin graft was in the waist area. I had a comfortable nightshirt for bed (need to have something I could pin the drain to) and three Amazon close-out specials ($4.50 ea.) that were a Halloween design of ghosts and pumpkins:) Turns out the ghosts glowed in the dark! I had a pair of oversized, loose coveralls for trips to Dr. or town.

I did behave and as it became 5 weeks out, I tested my limitations and then rested if I had gone too far. We did a Major relay in Shops At Fayrehale so we could fit the Barrister Bookcase in for more display space. Fortunately, it consists of eight sections.

The ca. 1900 Corner Cupboard was moved over by the door in to the backroom.

After skipping a year, I am back to sleeping in a tent from May until October. We created a new set up with a new tent that can now be taken down and stored over the winter. The old real box spring and two mattresses is no more! A Queen size 22″ deep air mattress with a phenomenal memory foam pad makes for comfortable, deep sleep and the cool nights (sometimes even Chilly!) make the hot and humid days easier to take.

The opposite end has the two reading chairs which in reality are more apt to be piled with books and clothes. Right now I also have a cage with 9 very special Sigrid Line Icelandics that need to be kept separate. They will move out to another grow pen in two weeks.

The Chicken business continues and we shipped Icelandic and Chantecler chicks and eggs all over the Country. The last batch will be mailed Tuesday and we can finally shut the incubator off, move the chicks out of the kitchen and start dusting the house! The incubator was filled and started in April so the first hatch would be in May after I came home from the hospital. If you are interested you can find out about both the Icelandics and Chanteclers online. Those seriously looking to learn about the Icelandics should also join this very educational group.

1st: All Natural Green Mountain Tick Repellent – Made right here in Vermont. We swear by it and that is why we added it to the Shop! Abigail has not had a tick this year. We use it on ourselves as well and the smell is delightful. A customer in CT emailed that she took her dog to “tick heaven” to play. She was using GMTR but did not put it on her dog as he had the injected by the vet repellent. After the session, she was tick free and she removed 6 from her dog! Doesn’t get any worse than CT when it comes to ticks!.

2nd:“Stops Leg, Foot and Hand Cramps”– Discovered by the Amish while they were still in Europe and brought to this country sometime in the 1880’s. I was introduced to this by a good friend in VA who stopped to visit after hearing about my suffering a horrible hour of cramps and spasms. I experienced this after a couple hours of stacking wood. I dare say that I have never lived a worse hour. She generously gave me half of her bottle. WOW! I was so thankful as it works. It has taken the fear away and if I suspect that I may cramp after a task, I take it preemptively.

3rd:“Stop Acid Reflux” was also discovered by the Amish while they were still in Europe and brought to this country sometime in the 1880’s. It is made by the same people who do the “Stops Leg, Foot and Hand Cramps”.

4th: ALL NATURAL Dog Treats-Cookies. Made in New Hampshire with the best quality ingredients. If it isn’t good for us why would we feed it to our Canine Family Members? Each cookie is baked by hand in small batches and made of 100% human grade ingredients, sourced in the USA.

The Porcelain Artist who Hand Paints Porcelain “In the Style of Celia Thaxter” continues to work on the Dinner Service. The Lilac Place Setting Hand Painted in the Style of Celia Thaxter is finished!

This place setting joins the Rosa Rugosa, The Woodbine and the Asters place settings. Ten more to go!

This Spring when I was painting the dining room I though about how we want to display this special dinner service when we are not actually using it. I found acrylic display fixtures online and one day when I needed a change of pace, I tried them out in a cabinet in the parlor that is visible from the dining room.

The display fixtures worked as I hoped they would and between this cabinet and another we will be able to enjoy this dinner service every day.

I was taken by surprise at how quickly we lose condition when we are laid up after surgery AND how long it takes to regain it! I am still working on that as I help Tom stack wood — later than ideal due to surgery. I have rolled with it and figure that this year, I can only do what I can do. This means no garden was planted and I can live with that. We have a good local farm stand near by and I did not want to waste seeds (some special) by starting too late.

I was very surprised that the day after surgery, my abdomen with its 4″ x 6″ graft did not hurt! I was pain free in that area for the first time in over 5 years! Used to it now:) but for a while after surgery it would dawn on me with surprise “I don’t hurt anymore”. The 14.5″ incision in my thigh was another situation! It has healed and we must have been a sight to see after surgery when on Tom’s arm, I was walking down the road in a Halloween nightshirt! Three or for times a day and a little further each day.

If you have made it this far! You are a real trooper. I am headed out to finish late chores and move some chicks around so I can pull those still in the incubator out.

I do hope you are all having a good year and have worked out how to live life without being overcome by politics and the media!

As glad as I was to see 2015 come to an end, the new year is already speeding by more quickly than I realized! How is it that three weeks have passed and I am just now greeting the New Year?

Our first real winter weather came after Christmas! And the first subfreezing spell in 2016. I took this picture one morning when the Kitchen was down to 40 degrees – my fault for procrastinating under the warm bed covers.

The Promise of Warmth

A quick review of 2015 reveals a year where I lost far too many friends to Cancer. A year where my own radiation fibrosis continued to aggravate. (Yes, I am a cancer survivor and this situation in annoying but not life threatening and a small price to pay for the 32 years I have lived since and the 20-25 years I would hope to still have)

It was a high predator year for Fayrehale Chanteclers and Fayrehale Icelandics as we dealt with a Fisher Cat, Lynx, Fox and Raccoon. The skunks that just steal eggs do not warrant mention as they seemed harmless in comparison. We came through alright, a few orders rolled over due to predator losses and are in good shape for 2016.

Shops At Fayrehale continues to grow. We closed the physical shop Christmas Eve, as we do each year, and will stay closed until Spring. The definition of “Spring” is still to be determined! I know that once April arrives, we plan a major relay that will give us more display shelving and a fresh look for those returning.

Being closed January – April does not mean “vacation”, it means change of focus. This year that focus will be on a big expansion of our online product selection along with cleaning and painting the dining room and restoring order to the parlor! We want to get things ready so we can entertain friends again. Our first dinner to be a small gathering of four (and we are two!) as we initiate the Porcelain Dinner Service Place Settings In The Style of Celia Thaxter. By late Spring, the fourth place setting out of a planned fourteen will be finished. (lilacs)

The fifth new category will be “Vermont Coin Silver / Vermont Silversmiths”. I am still working on the category picture. Most of this years online expansion will be devoted to these five categories. It is my intent to add at least a couple items each day.

As I look ahead to 2016, I want it to be a year where gardening returns as a larger slice of the Fayrehale Farm Pie. It has fallen to the wayside these last couple of years with everything else being accomplished. I hope to balance things out this season. Our website is experiencing growing traffic — significant increases — and I can see what visitors are interested in and what pages they visit. Many come to this site for gardening and chicken information and this season I will plan to add some posts in those areas.

The most satisfying and rewarding thing about having this website is the people we connect with, communicate with and in some cases become friends with! Like minded people. In the world we are now experiencing, it is vital that we all stick together, help and promote each other.

It happens fairly often, people travel through several States to visit Shops At Fayrehale and arrive either just before we open or on a day we decided to close!

They knock at the door.

Even the Geese that mow our lawn want to know when we open!!

Two recent knocks at the door are noteworthy and proof positive of the need to build a solid internet presence.

A week ago last Thursday, I decided to close Shops At Fayrehale and work on painting the bathroom we are renovating. It seemed like a safe day to sneak as Columbus Day weekend was coming and and I knew we had a busy weekend ahead.

I was painting away when there was a knock at the door. Abigail was barking. I consider ignoring it but the knock is persistent!

So, I answered the door and a Gentleman said, “we drove up from CT because my wife wanted to see your Shop”. I quickly opened and explained that I was always open if I was home – etc.

They had a nice look around the shop, we had a nice general conversation, they made their selections and as they were paying the husband asked if I had always lived here. My response, “I was born in Concord, MA and grew up in NY, PA & NH”, had him reveal that his wife grew up in Towanda, PA . “She did! I graduated from Towanda High” . He called his wife back in from the car where she had gone while he paid and told her. She said, “I did too!” I responded,”well I was way ahead of you — I was class of ’66” and she said, “so was I!” “I am Jim Verrill and was Editor of the Yearbook” — Her mouth dropped open as she said, “I am (was) Mary Bartlett!” — My date to the Senior Prom!!!! 49 years ago!!!!!

Our Senior Pictures – 1966

We spent three hours catching up. She and her husband were on a two day Vermont Foliage tour. Mary had been researching cold weather laying chickens for a friend and found us of course – Fayrehale Chanteclers! Then Mary saw the Shop and decided she wanted to visit the Shops At Fayrehale on their VT tour. They took a 50 mile extension (each way) from White River Junction where they were spending tonight!

The power and the value of the internet!!!!

The other couple I want to mention as noteworthy live in Erie, PA.

This past Saturday I had just finished an errands run. One of those trips where I had a careful list to keep me on track during seven different stops. The kind of errands run that I hate but are sometimes necessary. I pulled the van into the drive and came in the house to quickly answer an email before I moved the vehicles, put the signs out and opened the Shop.

A Knock At The Door!

“Are you open? My wife and I drove here from Erie, PA. She has been following you on Facebook and on your Website.” While we were the primary destination, they were taking a nice trip. They had visited Salem, MA, Bar Harbor, ME before coming to Shops At Fayrehale and then were headed home via Old Forge, NY and Lake Placid, NY.

She had ordered 5 Chanteclers from a hatchery, fallen in love with them, and wanted good stock. That desire was responsible for her finding us on the internet. Often our Chantecler and Icelandic chickens bring people to Shops At Fayrehale: Antiques, Christmas, Gifts.

Several hours later, they left with their Shop selections and a dozen week old Chantecler chicks. I then moved the vehicles from the driveway, put the signs out and finished opening.

A good presence on the internet is beneficial!

We are busy renovating the downstairs bathroom, winterizing the cellar to prevent another unexpected, extraordinary freeze like we had last December and rearranging the back room in the Shop as we prepare for the Holiday season.

Yes!, Suddenly we are deep into August! (a title that I heard on NPR and figured was perfect for a quick Blog entry after three months of silence since my last post).

The lilacs are a sweet memory, preserved in a picture by professional photographer Kelly Clow that we use in our ads and as a banner (see above). The three goslings that have survived a horrible season with predators are nearly full grown and getting getting more difficult to distinguish from the adult geese.

The geese continue to be our lawn mowers and to entertain us! They have come in to the Shop twice to check things out, settle down on the oriental carpet and spread the fake apples around with disgust. Now if I come into the house for a few, I shut the shop door to prevent their visits. I have not figured out how to add short video clips to this program so will provide your Goose entertainment with this link!

June saw us receive 13.5″ of rain here in the village and the soil didn’t warm up. July gave us 9.5″ of rain and August has delivered a heat wave that we do not expect for more than a day or two here in Northern Vermont. No beautiful gardens to share this year. We are getting some tomatoes, beans, chard and lettuce. We will see if we get any winter squash. I roll with it and dream about next year’s garden!

Not sleeping outside in the tent, as I have for the past 4 years, has been a personal comfort hardship (physical & mental). Priorities had to be set and the cost of a new tent was way down the list. Plumbing first! We are making progress with the plumbing. We have had hot and cold running water to the shower and kitchen sink since the end of May along with cold water to the outside faucet and hoses. We still need to install the toilet and bathroom sink. That is waiting on the floor which will be the next project. We have removed the old floor and just need to select, pay for and install new linoleum. Soon!

Rather then more money for tents, we would like to just construct a roofed, screened platform for the bed and 2 reading chairs. Once in place, this could be wrapped with tarps for winter and the pitched roof could handle the snow! A step at a time!

As you know, the show case, fixtures and orientals we had loaned Shops On Star and NEVER expected to come back, were delivered the end of May! When I heard it was all coming home to roost, I had no idea what I would do with it! Relaxing allowed the creative ideas to flow one at a time and at unexpected times. Everything has been worked into Shops At Fayrehale.

The lighted display case, once I figured out how to work it in, has created a nice focal point – filled with colored glass in the Antiques section of Shops at Fayrehale. At this level, there are three additional ledges on top that can be displayed.

Three bookcases from the Book Store, Shops On Star, Isles of Shoals, Star Island

Even the three book cases, that I painted yellow for the Shops On Star Book Store fit in! Two of then on the fronts of the hay racks in the back of Shops At Fayrehale and the third under a window in the front of Shops At Fayrehale! They did not need to be repainted, just dusted, as the yellow I chose for Shops on Star fit perfectly with the yellow I choose for Shops At Fayrehale. Serendipity!!!

We have had a parade of friends from New York and New England come to visit us! Many, a drive in the driveway surprise! Always fun to see everyone and show them Shops At Fayrehale whether or not we know they are coming! Everyone says that the pictures, as good as they are, do NOT do the Shop justice!

Nothing we can do about that except invite and encourage you all to stop by for a personal visit.

Several good friends have passed over these last few months and that has me so aware of how mortal we all are. We need to live and love, help and be kind every day as none of us know which day will be our last.

I work to relax and flow with life and events beyond my control, like the Lynx and Fisher we have in the village killing what they can. I dread the fact that the election and corresponding media hype has 16 more months more to flood the media world. I totally support the concept used in other countries that limit the election process, some to as little as 90 days!!

Tom and I try to take a couple days a month for misc. day trips. Fun and a change of pace from our regular daily routines.

Thus, Life at Fayrehale marches on. Fall will soon be here and than winter. Aaaaaaaaaaah winter, I can hunker down and work on getting some semblance of order in the house. I have a dinner party to plan (Probably Spring) where we will inaugurate the first four place settings of the Porcelain in The Style of Celia Thaxter Dinner Service.

We had a Goose setting on eggs. No way to know when she actually settled on her nest with 8 eggs so we just waited patiently. This past Sunday she presented us with 8 goslings! 8 for 8! The Gander is an American Buff and the Goose is 1/2 American Buff and 1/2 Sebastopol. The cross fixed the less than pleasant dispositions our Sebastopols had and gave us some curly feathers. It will be interesting to see how these youngsters feather out as they are now 3/4 American Buff.

New birth in both the plant and animal world makes my heart sing.

The Lilacs have come on fast, as Mother Nature speeds to catch up after a severe winter and a late spring. They are on schedule for a peak presentation this weekend, Memorial Day weekend. The weather predictions are for cool so they should last nicely. I need them to, as I need a new banner picture for Shops at Fayrehale with the lilacs in bloom between the sign and the entrance. It is certainly time to replace the winter snow image!

Lilacs have always been a favorite. I have planted and left collections everywhere I have lived. The best collection is here in Vermont with us now. Over 45 varieties and more than 55 bushes. The property is perfumed by the fragrance of lilacs. As you can see we have wood to stack! 3 cords dumped in the front yard and another 3 cords in the driveway. The driveway pile will be stacked first as we need the area for customers to park.

This first year for Shops At Fayrehale has been good. We already have people returning from last season. We developed online shopping for Shops At Fayrehale over the winter. We needed to turn a rough. cold winter into a productive one! We have found and added FOUR new Artisans and with their individually crafted pieces, expanded the Ornament Selection. Temari (Japanese String Balls), Gourd, Quilted and Felted Wool ornaments join the great selection we already offered!

As some of you know, the winter wiped out the plumbing in this 1840 house we call home! Since December, 2014, I have lived a Colonial lifestyle, carrying water up from the cellar in buckets and jugs and rather than a trip to the outhouse, a 5 gallon bucket by the wood stove!

Working with the plumber now as repairs are made and we plan for more winters like the last. As with all projects in old homes, we found that we have to do some work on the bathroom floor. After taking out the toilet and sink, which we are replacing, I looked under the linoleum, hoping to find an old wood floor and instead, found a black and decaying particle board floor!

SO — it will be a while before we have the new Toilet and Pedestal sink installed. Work will progress so we have hot and cold water to first floor tub & shower, hot and cold water to the kitchen sink and the outside faucet functioning so I can use the hoses.

The sink and toilet will remain stored in the dining room, shut off valves installed on their feeds, until the floor and other renovations are finished in the bathroom. We are very fortunate to have a fixture source that offers higher end fixture close outs and were able to pick these up for 25% of original cost.

As we do this work, we are switching to an electric hot water heater! Three strikes and the Lemon (expensive) gas hot water heater that we have is OUT! This meant we need to run electricity from the breaker box in the barn across the Ell to the far side of the cellar under the main house! Our Plumber suggested that we do it and save significant money! Having done it, I would hate to have paid a professional to do it!!

Of the several possible route choices, we decided to take conduit along the inside of the front porch that connects the barn to the main house. A few feet along the side of the main house we can enter the cellar through the old gas heater vent! Tom was here to help and it took us most of last Saturday. We had to measure, cut and assemble the PVC conduit and then disassemble and feed the pieces over the wire in reverse order. Seven 90 degree joints were the most time consuming as we thread 50′ of wire through. The straight pieces were a breeze until we got to the last 25′ straight section which was epoxied together from another project. No need to epoxy the rest. Once the wire was in the conduit, we installed from the front (barn) backwards to the main house.

A good job to have done and one that puts us that much closer to running hot water!

We continue to hatch and ship both Chantecler and Icelandic chicks. The incubator will be running non stop until fall.

I will never cease to marvel at the 21 day process that takes an egg and results in a healthy strong chick. These Icelandic chicks are from our fertility check hatch and are being raised to stay here.

The only other significant news concerns the ending of a special chapter in my life! For several years, I was an active and very involved volunteer for Shops On Star located on Star Island, an island in the Isles of Shoals off the coast of New Hampshire. My most significant accomplishment/contribution was finding an Artist who could paint porcelain In the Style of Celia Thaxter!

She lives on her mountain top in New Hampshire and had a Star Island connection from her youth. I searched unsuccessfully for three years before I found her. Her pieces are properly signed and annotated, but otherwise nearly impossible to distinguish from the original pieces that Celia Thaxter did herself!

Shops On Star is now under new leadership and headed in a different direction that does not include locally sourced, Artisan produced, selections like this fine porcelain.

Last week I took a trip to visit the Artist who has painted the Porcelain In the Style of Celia Thaxter for Shops On Star to deliver, personally, the news that Shops on Star will no longer be carrying this historic porcelain once the remaining inventory is sold on Island this season.

The highlight of the day, having deliver my news, was seeing the Aster place setting (minus the luncheon and salad plates which are not finished yet).

This phenomenal place setting is part of a specially commissioned dinner service which the Artist will continue to fulfill and will ultimately have 14, 13 piece, place settings — all different Celia designs PLUS a large selection of platters, covered and uncovered serving dishes and a large tureen w/ under platter.

As you may remember, this follows the Woodbine and Rosa Rugosa place settings.

Woodbine Rosa Rugosa

Porcelain Dinner Service Place Settings In The Style of Celia Thaxter

This pretty much brings you up to date with the varied activities at Fayrehale. I would expect the next posting to be weeks out when the garden is well under way and I am back to sleeping out in the tent!

My apologies to regular readers who may not be interested in this specific post. I attempted to title it in such a way that you could skip opening it when you received your email notification if you were not interested. We have included a special video at the very end that will make you think of and hear Spring:) Scroll down if you are not interested in how we prepare packages for mailing.

We take an enormous amount of pride in Shops At Fayrehale: Antiques, Christmas, Gifts and now that we are offering online shopping, that pride extends to how we prepare online orders for shipping. It is very important to us that the items you purchase be carefully and attractively packed. As the package travels to you, it represents us and we want that representation to be a very positive one.

We use a FLAT RATE shipping of $8.95 for online orders. We are not trying to make money with mailing costs and we do not cut corners when it costs us more!

We use regular Priority Mail when possible. Many of our more fragile Artisan Ornaments are already boxed. If they are not we box them. The first step is to wrap the item with tissue paper to keep it clean.

Next, we wrap with flat foam sheeting in each direction

The items are then wrapped with bubble wrap and folded bubble wrap is placed in the bottom of the box. At this stage, the items are basically wrapped and protected to bulk the size of the box. A slight nudge allows the top flaps to be closed and taped. There is no movement as the items are suspended in a protective cocoon. Basically the same procedures are followed for all orders. The box size and contents change.

The package is then addressed and mailed. We place one of our rack cards on the back if space permits. It looks nice and let’s be honest, we hope to attract many eyes as the package travels! We use a business card for our return address for a similar reason along with the fact it is crisp and clear. Addresses are copied and pasted from your order to ensure we make no typographical errors. They are black, bold and very clear. We want the package to reach you without delay.

We carefully protect all addresses and personal information! The only address we ever divulge is the one shown above.

And now, as promised at the beginning a short video to help you dream of and hear Spring. This is a small hatch that we will keep here at Fayrehale. All but three are Icelandics, the other three are Chantecler. The Icelandics are by a White Cock that appeared last year. It looks like there will be six white chicks! We will maintain these in a separate pen as we do not want white to take over our flock.

If things continue to progress smoothly, and that is IF!!!!!, we will be ready to launch our online shopping feature for Shops At Fayrehale tonight.

Update: We went live at 8:40PM

It has been a long, time consuming project as Tom worked the backside with his IT expertise and I input product from the front end. A BIG learning curve for me — at times a very frustrating experience! It is just a start. I have loaded enough product to hopefully show the diverse, varied and often unique range of the products we offer. I will keep adding and expanding the selection.

When it comes to Antiques, we select items that make great gifts. One doesn’t have to be a collector of Antiques to appreciate the beauty, the substance, the continued usability of items from the past. Antiques are a very Green Gift!

We use Individual Artisans for our Christmas Ornaments and Candles. We stay as local as we can and use many Vermont Artisans but we do go further afield when necessary to find the items we want to offer. Regardless of how local an Artisan is, they are all gifted artisans working hard to make each individual piece.

Having just discovered two gifted Vermont Candlemakers, we will be expanding our candle selections. The candles listed as the site launches are hand dipped from one of the candlemakers. We soon will be adding 100% individually molded beeswax candles from the second candlemaker…some figural and some utilitarian. PLUS some beeswax ornaments that will be reminiscent of Germany and the Victorian Era.

We have found a Vermont artisan who is in the process of making felted ornaments w/ Vermont wool for Shops At Fayrehale !

and another Vermont Artisan is preparing beautiful Temari ornaments for us!

We are communicating with a Vermont Artisan who creates delightful ornaments from small gourds and another Artisan in Connecticut who does quilted ball ornaments. Not sharing pictures of these two selections now as we have not established that we will actually be carrying them in Shops At Fayrehale. I will post them when we know for sure!

Nothing can replace a personal visit to Shops At Fayrehale. We would love to see you all, personally, when you visit Vermont. For those who are unable to make that visit and in between visits, we hope you will makeShops At Fayrehaleyour “go to” site for online shopping — whether for yourself or to gift. We hope you will bookmark us and watch for additions and of course we would love to have you share us with your friends.

Once we launch, many different sets of eyes will be perusing the products. Thousands of proof readers! We have been careful and have checked back and forth between ourselves but I know there have been bleary eyed misses! Please don’t hesitate to send us an email – shopsatfayrehale@gmail.com – when you notice a typo we missed!

I am already looking at seed catalogs as I plan and dream about this year’s gardens — We cut way back last year as getting Shops At Fayrehale open and off the ground was the all consuming priority. Now we can have some balance return to life. With the buzzer system we have, I can be in the garden (south side of the barn where Shops At Fayrehale is located) and still know when customers arrive.

Right now we are 30 minutes away from a hoped for 8PM launch. I have to see how Tom is coming along (in NY). He has a few things to do once we go live and then I will announce it on Facebook. Our Facebook page is public and you should be able to look at it even if not a member. The photo files have lots of pictures and thus you can see items that may never make it online. We can’t present everything, though I will continue to add a few products every day.

Signing off for tonight. It is currently 5 degrees and headed for 9 BELOW:) Looking like we will be on the upper edge of tomorrow night’s storm. Fine with me! I would much rather shovel 1-3″ of snow that 12-18″.

It has been nearly two months since my last post. A busy two months with a beautiful Autumn passing as cold and snow arrive.

I have always known, that regardless of the issues and problems in my/our life/lives, the majority of people in the world would switch places with me in an instant and take all my problems too! A good, long time friend sent me an eye opening slide show recently which described the world’s population in comprehensible terms! It is based on 100 people and then all the ratios/percentages of the whole world are applied to these 100!

IF you have a little money in the bank, in your wallet or a few coins in your purse you are one of eight out of the hundred! Eye opening.

The news further makes me realize I am fortunate regardless of the current hurdles in life I am dealing with. I do not live in Buffalo w/ 7 feet of snow imprisoning me in my home. I am not Black so there is less of a chance I will be shot. I am descended from immigrants who arrived in 1622 and lucky not to be an immigrant today! I am a 31 year cancer survivor as I am surrounded by people I know and care about currently fighting serious cancers. I have a roof over my head, some food to eat and heat to sit buy while far too many are homeless, hungry and cold.

The list goes on and on. It saddens me to see how selfish this Country has become. NOT everyone — but far to0 many — the many who seem to have the major news outlets for their mouthpiece. As a Country we have lost our compassion. That means those of us who do care must be aware and do whatever we can, regardless of how little that is.

It need not be money, when there is no extra money, it can be personal, connected support. Visit, call, write someone that will smile because you took a minute to care.

We did the two day Peacham Guild Christmas Show the very end of October. This was 7 miles away from Shops At Fayrehale and introduced us to over 1000 local area people. Some from that show have already stopped by the Shop.

Pellet Stove Is Vented

The pellet stove is functioning well and for now we are keeping the shop between 40 and 50 degrees. That seems comfortable for customers who are already bundled up.

VERMONT Hand Dipped Candles!

I had given up on finding a quality hand dipped candle that was smokeless, dripless and burned an inch an hour! Years ago in an earlier Christmas Shop in Searsport, Maine, I sold Williamsburg Candles. They went out of business when they could no longer compete with the candles from China. THEN, when I was at a product show in New Hampshire I discovered a Vermont source. Talk about excitement. We have added a selection this year and will be expanding our inventory next year.

Evening Lighting

We are staying open until 6PM everyday until Christmas. Thinking that for Jan-Mar we will be open Fri-Sun and by chance or appointment. I do not foresee traffic warranting heating the shop all week in the dead of winter.

Advertisement Running For The Next Two Weeks

We announced on our Facebook Page and I will repeat here! Our online readers and followers can have the same opportunity (starting now – until December 1st) to use the local coupon. There are ample pictures in the photo files of our Facebook Page for you to see our ornament selections.

It could well be next year! before I post another entry here. Meanwhile, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving with Family and Friends (Hope you do not shop on Thanksgiving!) and the Merriest Christmas possible.

Please remember to be Thankful EVERY Day! – Not Just Thanksgiving Day! and to be aware of those around you who can use some compassion and support.